When you’re looking to find a game to play, you’ll probably read some reviews to see which games are actually good and worth your time – and money. It can be frustrating buying a game and then not really enjoying it, and even when playing free games, it is worth doing some research to find a good match for what you are into.

So, how do you find gaming review sites that you know you can trust with your cash in 2024?

Find a site that suits you

Gaming can mean a lot of different things. Few people have knowledge of every single game released and there are sites with specific niches that are more specialist and may provide more reliable information.

In the online casino industry, there are even review sites that concentrate on particular regions or areas as well as reviewing games – www.habibibet.org/ reviews casinos in Arab countries and provides reliable reviews of the games released in these countries as well as things like bonuses and the casinos themselves .

You wouldn’t go to one of the top experts in RPG games to ask about the best sports simulation, and the same applies here. Often it is the case that the best sites have that reputation because they have writers that fully understand the niche.

Find reviewers you trust

If a writer gives you a good gaming recommendation, hold that writer close. Make sure you subscribe to their social media and check out any of the videos they release about gaming. It could just be that you happen to have the same taste in games. It is a bit like that one friend who always recommends you music.

Writers can often write for numerous sites, or they may share games on their own personal blogs, but not all reviewers are writers…

YouTubers are really good for reviews as you are following a specific person rather than a publication. Some YouTubers have gained huge followings by playing and reviewing a certain type of game. For example, YouTuber ambiguousamphibian has gained over 1.4 million subscribers, mainly making videos about games that are either simulations or RPGs.

YouTubers do have another advantage in that they can potentially show clips of the game, and a lot of them make playthrough videos, for instance. This means that potential players can even check out the gameplay before getting started and parting with their hard-earned money.

In the case of finding reviewers, it may well boil down to the types of players that are out there, and if you can find a YouTuber or blogger with similar tastes then you are likely to find out a lot more than just checking random reviews or gaming review aggregators. OpenCritic is a good way to find out more about some games that are available but it is not the same as someone who you know has the same sort of outlook on games.

Top tip: read multiple reviews

Finding trusted reviewers is not always easy, but finding multiple sources can be really tricky. However, it is definitely worth considering reading more than one review to ensure that you’re getting a good overview of the game and not just basing it on one person’s bad experience.

You may also choose to get your reviews in different ways, including written reviews and games reviews on YouTube and other video sites.

Detail is key

One of the main things when looking for reviews is to check out how detailed they are. When it comes to reviews, it is definitely a case of the more detail, the better, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, this proves that the person has played the game thoroughly.

This sounds silly, but a lot of game reviewers may be pressed for time. If they have to review a game in a limited time then there is a chance they are using other people’s comments and takes to help to make up the review. On top of that, they may just not have properly delved into the game. Some games take a while to get going, and not every game is a classic within 30 minutes of starting.

A lot of detail also shows that a reviewer is likely to be passionate about the game they are playing, and this could be why they created the review in the first place!

Podcasts can give a great deep dive

One of the great ways to find reliable game reviews is to look wherever you get your podcasts. They often give really in-depth reviews, such as this podcast featuring the Legend of Zelda – Tears of the Kingdom.

Podcasts are also a great way to listen while you are doing other stuff, so you may have more time yourself to check out the full reviews. If you do a lot of driving, this can be a time to stick on a games podcast and listen to what people are saying about a certain release. Podcasts are similar to YouTube when it comes to gaming reviews but you won’t see gameplay on the audio-only podcasts (obviously).

Some games are so popular that they have their own podcasts with specific focus on one game and its gameplay. That’s pretty impressive, but it shows how many people play these games.

Podcasts may also focus the spotlight on one specific genre, just like YouTubers who have a genre that they play and review.

Conclusion

It is one thing reading a review and another thing entirely actually trusting that review. The best way is often to find a community or a reviewer that you know that you like, and put your trust in them.

Tastes definitely vary, so it is hard to take this approach all the time. In the modern age, you can see a lot of a particular game’s footage on YouTube or even check out a podcast before making a decision, and it’s a good idea to listen to at least a couple of reviewers before taking the plunge.